Countdown to Freedom
by Pokeyshadow
Summary: Neal countdowns to his freedom with much trepidation.


2 days.

48 hours.

2880 minutes.

172,800 seconds.

No matter how Neal counted, it meant one thing...freedom. In two days, Neal was a free man; he had survived four years of prison and four years of a tracking device though the latter was not nearly as bad as Neal liked to portray it. On some days, he would freely admit how much he enjoyed being a CI and how much he was going to miss it. On other days, he wanted nothing more than to take off and start fresh.

But the closer the day came, the worse Neal felt. He was nervous and he was sick to his stomach and he couldn't sleep...

Everyone was free with advice or offers of help.

June said he could stay in the apartment as long as he wanted.

Sara wanted to travel so they could figure out if they had a future together.

Mozzie wanted to leave and do what they did best...con the world.

Peter, well he said nothing. That wasn't exactly true. He was quick with the I'll catch you speech if Neal decided to pursue his old career. Other than that, he had few words and carried on as if nothing was about to change.

Neal wasn't sure if that angered him or just made him more upset. Either way, Neal kept to himself and away from Peter as much as possible.

He glanced at the clock, nearly 5pm and there was nothing going on. He didn't bother asking Peter if he could leave...he just grabbed his hat and walked out.

If Neal had looked up he would have caught Peter watching him.

* * *

><p>Neal lay in bed, eyes open and mind racing. It was his last day with the anklet and he should have been ecstatic. But he had been up all night worried about his future and imagining the worse.<p>

Peter had mentioned a small party at work and then dinner at his place, neither excited Neal but he would go along with whatever they wanted. He wanted nothing more than to stay in bed and sleep, though sleep was a fleeting option these days.

Neal stood up, groaning in the process. His stomach growled with hunger, angry with the little nourishment it had received the night before.

He walked unsteadily to the bathroom, willing himself to face the day.

"Where's your bag?" Peter asked, after Neal settled in the passenger seat. Neal stared at him blankly.

"I asked you to bring an overnight bag in case we had a little too much to drink."

Neal shrugged. "I'll take a cab" he retorted.

"Neal. Go. Get some clothes so you can stay over."

With an exaggerated sigh Neal hauled himself out of the car and walked away.

Peter noted he moved as if his feet were in quicksand.

* * *

><p>The day passed slowly. Neal accepted the good nature ribbing and the good luck comments throughout the day. Lunch was ordered and he ate little, knowing his stomach couldn't handle it. The speeches were peppered throughout the meal and even Hughes seemed sad to see Neal leaving.<p>

Neal said little beyond thank you, and even that nearly brought him to tears.

The ride to the Burke's home was silent. Peter kept glancing at his former CI but Neal kept his face towards the window, and his eyes closed.

"Where's Elizabeth?" Neal asked once inside.

"Out of town" Peter answered, as he tossed his briefcase on the sofa.

"So, why am I here?"

Peter smiled. "To keep me company and help me with this." He held up a long list that Neal couldn't read from his position and assumed it was from Elizabeth.

"Peter, what kind of game are you playing? You've barely said a word to me all week and now we're weekend buddies."

"Ouch." Peter grimaced. "That doesn't sound right" he added with a small smile playing on his face.

"Neal, you've been wallowing in self pity all week. I was hoping you'd come talk to me or ask me for my advice."

Neal looked away.

Peter grew angry.

"Neal look at me." Peter cupped his hands behind Neal's neck, not giving the younger man much of a choice.

"Do you think so little of me or this so called friendship that I would just kick you out the door with barely more than a good luck?" Peter released him. "Come on Neal. We've been partners for four years and I know how nervous you are about the future. I swear if you were older, I'd think you've been institutionalized already."

And in a nutshell, Peter had figured it out.

"Neal. No." Peter backed away. "You're still young and there's so much out there for you. I don't believe for a minute you can't function on the right side of the law."

"Can I?" Neal glared at Peter. "Who in their right mind would give me a job? Tell me what's out there for me."

"Glad you finally asked." Peter grabbed a bunch of take out menus and started flipping through them.

"How does pizza sound?" He could feel Neal's eyes boring through him. "Take your bag upstairs and I'll order dinner."

Neal didn't budge.

"Neal, you have plenty of options and one is to continue at the bureau. " For a brief moment Neal's eyes lit up.

"All of them require a GED." Neal scowled.

"Your test is Wednesday night and your prep class is Monday."

"I don't need any preparation" Neal remarked.

"Probably not" Peter agreed. "But it's free so you're going."

"You really think I can do this? I'm not sure I can be a law abiding citizen."

"You can do it." Peter settled on the diner and quickly ordered a large pizza and bread sticks.

"Neal, you are a free man. You choose something and you don't like it, you try something else. You have a place to live and a chance at a real life..."

"And I have friends" Neal whispered with a small nod of his head.

And probably for the first time in your life Peter silently assumed.

"Yes, you do. Take your stuff upstairs and we'll see how much of this list we can finish tonight."

Peter watched him walk away; after a long week the Neal swagger was finally back.


End file.
